Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. And I don't imagine on doing that even if Tite Kubo hands the story to me, because I would know everything that happens in the story. (Which wouldn't be so interesting anyway).

InnerVoice: You know, the title of this story has something to do with me doesn't it. I mean you named me "InnerVoice" and it says Innermost Identity.

ME: What? I have no idea what you're talking about.

DanceOfTheWhiteMoon: Yeah, just shut up already. I mean, I wanna see Madison die! *furrows eyebrows*

angelic93: Start the show already! *waves hand at everyone*

Sapphir3: Get on with the story or I'll be owning all the popcorn! *sweatdrop*

Assault Godzilla: You guys need therapy. Seriously. *folds arms*

ME: *Hands over the popcorn to everyone*

TheRottenStrawberry: Sweet popcorn? Or salt?

hisanachan: Both. *bites more popcorn*

IchiRuki-Fangirl: It's about time. *crunch crunch* Yay!

Chapter 9 –Ferocious Tigers, and 1st Competition

Rukia looked at her watch. 7:30pm. After all classes they'd been called up after dinner, for a special team meeting. Toushiro, had arrived, and was in the same group as Rukia was. Ichigo was one of the heads running the group.

"I'll mark the register now." Renji took the green clipboard from Ichigo and started calling out everyone's names of the group.

"Hey Toushiro, I've been waiting to ask all day. Hows your dad?" Rukia looked at him nervously.

"He's not in that good condition. It must be all that salt he's eating."

"Oh, that's too bad. But I'm sure he'll be fine. Don't worry." She gave his hand a squeeze. Even though she didn't know what was really going on. "I missed you, you know."

"Toushiro..." Renji didn't read the rest of his name.

Toushiro raised his hand. Renji just put a tick, and carried on. He then turned to Rukia and said, "Yeah, must've been hard with Hirako around."

"Ugh. He's really weird. Oh and the other guard didn't even tell me his name. I hardly saw him."

"That's his job. He doesn't converse much. And his main point is stealth."

"I see." Rukia was deep in thought about all the people that had been set out to protect her. 'I hope I don't screw up.'

"Kuchiki Rukia."

"Here!" and she raised her hand.

"Kurosaki, I'm ticking your name or are you going to go?"

"Of course I'm staying. Tick my name now would ya?" he grabbed the pen from Renji and ticked his own name. A few of the girls started whispering.

"Hey Ichigo! Are you a fast runner?"

His eyes furrowed a little dangerously. He looked pretty irritated. But not exactly the pissed-off-orange-haired-dude. "Why do you ask?" he said into the crowd of girls not knowing who popped the question.

"Um...nothing. Just a random question. Whatever." She giggled stupidly. Everyone was curious about that girl now. She had blonde hair that reached her knees. Ichigo looked like she'd wasted too much of his breath. Now that's the pissed-of-orange-haired-dude.

Renji started his speech. "Shut up everyone. Now all of you listen carefully. This school has a building for every single form. Now our form building, will not be competing with the other forms. Last night, as might have noticed, only our form students were present in the dance."

Suddenly, a spiky haired boy who happened to be Torio yelled. "Stop stating the obvious, just get to the point!"

Renji, looking more pissed than Ichigo, stood up on the small deck-like stage next to Ichigo. "I said shut your traps! Kaien, I've told you not to yell at your leader."

'Kaien?' now Rukia was confused. 'But that's Torio!'

The spiky-haired boy then looked away and said, "Whatever."

Ichigo had noticed the tension between him and his group. "How many of you think we're both idiots?"

A few raised their hands. But more like the punk, and delinquents seemed to do so. Including Kaien/Torio.

Ichigo looked at them and said, "Then I recommend you all to leave. If you don't want to help us that's fine. I'd prefer it if all of our group members would be co-operative. I don't give a damn about the number of members we need. It's just a stupid rule to make sure we get a good amount of students in a group. I don't believe in numbers, I believe in those who want to be here. But if you change your mind it's not my choice now is it?"

Kaien/Torio walked out. Three of the idiots who raised their hands disappeared with him from the cafeteria's door.

"Now anyone else who wants to quit the fun?" Renji asked.

There was complete silence. "Now first you need to know that we don't hate you. I want to thank you all for being here. We don't like tension between our teammates. Now listen to what Renji has to stay."

Renji quickly continued his interrupted speech. "Well..err thanks Ichigo. Okay. Now as I said we won't be facing any other forms. It's just our form. But there are a lot of teams. Karakura High is the biggest school in Japan. And the fact that we have a building for each form, also concludes that we have many students. Now any questions so far?"

"Yeah!" one pink haired girl raised her hand. Renji gave her consent and she continued. "Um...what kind of competitions are there?"

"Well there are many that need a lot of talents. The first one is going to test your minds I guess."

"It's a quiz. Similar to an IQ test. Just a normal general knowledge thing." Ichigo said simply. "It's on Friday night, in the hall where we had the school's traditional opening of the competition. 7:30pm."

Suddenly Toushiro winked at Rukia. Then it hit her. 'Wow...maybe I can do this!'

Then Ichigo said, "Alright, I already have noted a few names. But Renji will be selecting from the rest. Hey Rukia come over here!"

"Uhh..." she looked at Toushiro and started walking from behind the group. Many of them just stared as she made her way. Everyone had seen them both dancing the previous night.

"You're first on my list. Now wait over there until I call everyone's names." He pointed at the chairs on the deck. She nodded and sat down.

'Wow, he thinks I'm smart? Must be all those classes together..."

Rukia took a seat on the deck as Ichigo called four more students up. It was the red-haired girl called Chizuru, and the one who'd called her princess, Mizuiro. Then came a black haired and greenish eyed boy who was shorter than Rukia, and also Toushiro. She frowned at him as he sat next to her.

'Jeez, Ichigo knows people. Maybe in my manga he could be forgetful? He must've observed all the smartypants altogether.'

"Hi I'm Chizuru! Nice to meet you Rukia!"

"Hey princess Rukia. How are you?" Chizuru gave him a look of jealousy.

Toushiro looked at the black-haired boy. "And you are?"

"Hn." Was all he said. What a freak.

Then Rukia asked him. "Hi there, what's your name?"

"I'm Ryu. Ulquiorra's son." Rukia's eyes widened, and Toushiro looked at her, his mouth hanging open. She could practically hear his thoughts. 'No fair!'

He looked smart, but his attitude was like a jerk's.

Ichigo walked up after he had group everyone around Renji, who was busy questioning everyone.

"Now, these are the questions that will be asked. Renji will select the groups." Ichigo took a certain paper and sat down. Ok I'll ask some questions. Now first I want to see some co-operation. Anyone who knows just say the answer, and the others wait while raising hands. On the quiz day there will be a buzzer in front of you to press. Now I'll start asking. How can the age of the tree be determined?

Rukia's hand shot up at once, "By counting the annual growth rings of its stem."

Everyone looked at her strangely. She looked back and said, "What? I learnt it in Environmental Studies. Simple."

Ichigo asked the next question without looking at her. "Name the actor grandfather of Drew Barrymore."

"John." Rukia looked at him.

"Full name Rukia."

Then Mizuiro said, "John Barrymore."

"Which is the brightest star?"

All of them said at the same time. "Sirius." Although Chizuru didn't say anything.

"Now that's what I want to see!" Ichigo said. "Now we don't need to go all day right? Today's Monday. Now all we need to do is...well...Chizuru, please read all these magazines. It's got politics, and stuff about celebrities." He took a big bunch of magazines and put it on her lap. "Ryu, you can do the math sums right? Well I've got some questions similarly. Word problems. Try doing them mentally. Mizuiro, you're good at all the subjects so I advise you to go through these quiz questions I came up with and start practicing on how to answer as soon as possible. Rukia..." he paused at her as if he didn't really know what to do with her. "I suggest you read an encyclopaedia."

Toushiro gave him a strange look. Rukia didn't say anything against it and just said, "Fine."

"Toushiro. You can find your own way to study. I don't mind. I know you can do it well."

Toushiro didn't say more than just, "Hn." Sometimes, he too could be a real jerk.

"Now I officially name you as our quiz's leading members. Renji is searching for some reserves, in case one of you can't make it on stage. I'll go help him, and you guys can go now."

Rukia just said "Bye" to Ichigo and he replied to her with a "See you later."

As five of them walked out of the room, Chizuru started the conversation. "Wow, Rukia you must be real smart. I mean, you're going to read an encyclopaedia?"

"Yeah, totally boring. I mean you got the interesting bit. Celebrities and all."

"Nah. Hey Ryu...so you're the math geek huh?" and she laughed at him.

"Hn." Man, he was just like Toushiro. A little bit.

Mizuiro broke the weirdness, "Well, I guess I'm the main part eh? I wonder which of us gets to answer random questions separately. In the third round only one of us has to answer all the questions asked by the judges."

Toushiro wondered a little, and Rukia shivered. The silence amongst them spoke of only one word, 'Competition.'

They all parted during the lift ride all the way up. No one had said word after what Mizuiro had said.

As Rukia, Toushiro and Chizuru walked up on the same floor she said, it'll be 8:30 soon. Make sure your safely off this side of the building or..."

"Or I'll be rewarded with a punishment. I couldn't care less anyway." Toushiro gave her a glare as he and Rukia walked into her room after unlocking the door. Rukia gave her an apologetic look and closed the door.

"What's with the grumpy attitude Toushiro? Or is there something you're not telling me?"

"It's nothing at all. I just wanted to give you the maths sum solutions. Here."

"Thanks." She looked at the emotionless turquoise eyes and took them from him, then sat on her bed.

"So who was your math partner in the weekend..?" he asked.

"No one. I just assisted Tatsuki."

"So you're getting pretty good at it huh? You're a fast learner." He complimented her.

"Is it me or did Toushiro Hitsugaya just compliment me? What's gotten into you? Do you have AIDS? Or maybe it's cancer."

"Shut up. Uhh...I mean...nothing. Look just don't worry about me ok? I have my own problems to worry about. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry for what?" she asked wonderingly.

"For telling you to shut up. I'll wait until Tatsuki comes. Wouldn't take too long for her to get back before 8:30."

"Yeah." She took out her electronic encylopedia.

"Are you seriously going to read it?"

"No. I'll just borrow one from the library. I prefer books with pictures. That way it'll be easier to remember my kind of memory. For tonight I'll read from this." She opened it like a small laptop. It was her Britannica dictionary and encyclopaedia given to her by Byakuya.

"Nii-sama gave it to me. It's pretty useful."

"Rukia, I know Ichigo is going to choose you to be the lead in the Quiz competition. I just know it."

"I don't mind. It's fine."

"Rukia-"

The click of a key was followed by the door opening. "Toushiro. Just go. I need to talk to Rukia about something."

He just got up without a word and went. "What?" asked Rukia looking at Toushiro leaving. She quickly said a "Goodnight Toushiro."

Orihime also came in the room and closed the door as Toushiro went out. He gave one glance and walked away. Orihime hurriedly asked first, "What did Kurosaki-kun say? He's in your group right?"

Both of them stared at her. "What is this to be so important?"

"Duh. You're the gossip of the week. Everyone stared at you guys at the dance. And that's not all, today Mizuiro was the one to tell me that you kissed him on the cheek! How come I didn't know this?" Tatsuki asked looking pretty annoyed.

Orihime then joined, "Tatsuki! That's mean!"

"I didn't ask you Orihime."

"Well I did. So what? I was nothing more than a friendly gesture. Voila!" Rukia clasped her hands together. "Case closed!"

"But everyone's wondering now whether you're like hooked up with him. Even I had my doubts!"

"GUYS! I am not after him ok? By the way..."

"Don't change the topic! We will dig in as much as we like."

"No seriously! Today that Torio was in our group. And Renji called him Kaien."

"Oh...that." Tatsuki laughed. "Yeah he's Torio's identical twin. Kaien."

"He looks just like Torio..."

"What do you expect...I mean they are identical. Torio's sensitive and stupid, Kaien is just pretty tough and mischievous. They've divided minds. You can tell the differences between them at once. Torio walks like some underwear model, but Kaien walks with a hunch back with his bag dangling on his back. Sometimes he looks a bit like Ichigo when he walks that way." Orihime smiled.

Tatsuki groaned and said under her breath, "Underwear model, I'll never get that picture out of my head."

Rukia giggled. "Well, whatever. I'm telling you a hundred percent. I am not in love with anyone. You got that?"

Tatsuki's eyes furrowed. "Then what do you think of Ichigo?"

Rukia paused for a moment. "He's..."

"He's?" asked Orihime sarcastically.

"Just a normal guy!"

"Right...an abnormal guy. You drew him on your manga cover which you planned. He escorted you to the school like you told me. He calls you shrimp. You call him ginger. Oh and some pissed of...something. You were locked in the janitors closet with him, and I've got to admit someone's is also jealous."

"What are you talking about? Those are just coincidental. Plus it's just fun to call him that. And who's jealous?"

"Toushiro!" said Tatsuki and Orihime at the same time.

"Wow Tatsuki and Orihime. Gossip much?" and Rukia laughed. "He's not jealous you bimbos."

"Then?" Tatsuki wanted to know.

"He's a little overprotective. Anyway I think of him as a brother. I think he's about 4 cm shorter!"

"So, he'll have more fun with you."

Rukia tried to punch Tatsuki but she dodged and held her to the floor by her neck and laughed, "Wow Kuchiki, you'll need to take years of training before beating me."

"Ugh. I..can't..breathe.."

Tatsuki let go of her a little. "So what's it going to be. If you were ever forced to go out with a guy who would it be?"

"Toushiro."

"See? You like him don't you?"

"No.."

Then Orihime quickly said, "Tatsuki! Stop it!"

"Fine, fine!"

Rukia quickly got up as Tatsuki let her go. "I do not like anyone ok?" As she said this her cellphone rang. It was...Ichigo?

She hurriedly clicked it and said into it, "Hello?"

"Yeah it's me Ichigo. Well I just wanted to know whether you needed any help with the quiz thing. They've got some good books in the library. Wanna come?"

"Oh no. It's fine I was just going to get them tomorrow. I already have some sources to use."

"Oh...alright then. Goodnight shrimp."

"Goodnight...ginger.." Then he hung up without another word. She could've sworn she'd heard a tone of disappointment in his voice. She'd whispered the word 'ginger' though.

"Who called?" asked Tatsuki as soon she put her phone into her dress pocket.

"Oh, nobody."

"It was Ichigo!" said Orihime laughing. "What did gingerhead say?"

"Nothing ok. Just drop it guys."

Tatsuki didn't care if she sounded nosy. "He asked you out didn't he?"

"Uhh...how'd you know?"

"Well I know Ichigo. He invites people quite randomly. Plus he's you're partner at almost everything. So? What'd he say?"

"Just that if I wanted to join him in the library. I said I got a source for tonight, and that I'll go search tomorrow."

"WHAT?" yelled Orihime and Tatsuki.

"What? What did I do now?" Rukia wanted to know.

"You're supposed to say yes, you idiot! I can't believe how dense you are Rukia!"

"Yeah!" yelled Orihime too. Although she herself was shocked by her own actions, and quickly covered her mouth. "Ehe.."

"Well, you mean I should go with him? But I already-!"

"Just shut up and dial his number." Tatsuki folded her arms. She was quite persistent after she found out about Ichigo's "love at first sight" encounter. She wanted so badly for Ichigo to be happy. And after all, the key to this was definitely Rukia. Maybe he'll even stop furrowing those eyebrows for once.

_____________Tatsuki's Flashback________________

"You love her don't you?"

"Huh?"

"You're in love with Kuchiki Rukia. Admit it."

"Err...I don't know what you're talking about." He scratched his head.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Tatsuki lifted her index finger.

"Well...maybe." He smirked and put his hands in his pockets.

"Well?"

"It's just a maybe, ok? Relationships don't work out for me now do they? I'm hedging my bets. I'm not going to repeat history like what happened between me and Orihime."

"You guys! Hurry up!" Rukia's voice came back near the door.

Ichigo's ears were slightly pink at this moment.

"Oh well. I just wonder how you're going to ask her out next. You were really lucky this time."

"Whatever." They both walked over to where Rukia was standing. She started running just as she saw them walk. They followed her similarly.

_________End of Flashback__________

Tatsuki snapped out of her thoughts as Rukia said "Hello" into her phone.

"Hey Ichigo. I'm kinda free now so maybe I'll head to the library. See you there?"

She paused for a moment. "Oh...so maybe I'll just go tomorrow." Orihime and Tatsuki looked disappointed. "Oh..really? We could go after lunch..."

Tatsuki and Orihime stared at her.

"Well...he isn't free anymore. Keigo and the others are planning to watch a movie."

"On a school night? Damn Rukia, your luck just isn't right."

"It isn't...isn't it?"

"But she's going tomorrow! Why are you guys acting like there's no tomorrow? I mean the sun will definitely rise, and the birds will hatch with its warmth, and everyone wakes up including Ichigo and Rukia by the irritation of alarm clocks, and Rukia and him will be paired in all the classes they have, and they'll automatically have lunch together while the boring lunch lady will say 'what is your order, punk?' in the most boring tone to every single customer who has earrings or a single piercing, and then Ichigo will try buying her some food, and Rukia will refuse, and he will buy it anyway, and then after lunch they-"

"SHUT UP!" yelled Tatsuki and Rukia at the same time as if they're minds were of the same.

______________Skipped all the way to the "Library Date" scene________________

"So...um, thanks for buying my lunch..." Rukia remembered Orihime's prediction. She wondered how she knew Ichigo so well...in some way.

"Even though you didn't want me do it."

She laughed. "Hey I think this encyclopaedia's good. It looks interesting."

He looked at the book she'd pulled from the shelf. He took it from her and turned it over. "Well, it's got complicated words. Are you sure?"

"Complicated words are fine. I've read the whole dictionary." She laughed in her head.

She turned towards the wall her hands behind her back in a stretching position. Then she turned around to see Ichigo with a stricken look. "Seriously, you read the dictionary?"

"Um...yeah."

"Were you like...confined somewhere with one? That you had like nothing else to do?"

"No." She laughed again.

"Then?"

"It was, for vocabulary purposes." She scratched her neck.

"Right..." He turned a few pages in the book. "Yeah this one's fine. I still need to search for Mizuiro. He has a lot of free time."

"I'll help you." He handed her the encyclopaedia.

"No. Go back to lunch and do something else. Like studying for instance."

"You bought me lunch, and I get to help." He just turned away from her and as he did, she jabbed the corner of the book on his shoulder.

"Ouch." Suddenly, he fell to his knees on the floor. He was holding his right shoulder in pain. She walked in front of him.

"What happened?" she kneeled down in front of him nervously.

"Man, I think I'm bleeding again."

"Bleeding? What?" Rukia exclaimed.

"Well I was hit by a metal object by Kaien Shiba last night after the meeting. I didn't really tell anyone, an I just tried bandaging it-" He was interrupted by Rukia.

"Fool! You can't just heal it on your own! C'mon we're going to the nurse's!"

"No." Then a crimson wet liquid appeared slowly on his uniform shirt.

"Damn!" Rukia yelled and she dropped her book. She ripped her long sleeve into a long cloth enough to tie it on his shoulder. As she tied it she called to the librarian, "Get the nurse please!"

The librarian who was fast asleep on her chair, stood up frantically and started dialling.

Rukia quickly tied the cloth and as she did Ichigo winced a bit. The cut seemed deep, and since he'd tried to clean it himself he'd probably infected it.

He looked at the girl who's face was two inches away from his. Rukia hadn't noticed his yet. She started tying the cloth by sitting on the floor bending a little from his left, and was reaching to his right arm. "When did you learn first aid?"

"I know first aid. Now stop talking or it'll make the pain worse." She was examining the blood stains.

"Your cut is quite deep. What did he hit you with? A knife?"

"Dunno."

"Darn it all Ichigo. You're really weird you know that?"

"Well I don't want to go around hitting every guy who pisses me off!"

"This is more than pissing off! You've got blood on yourself damn it!"

"And you're having a fun time with almost all of it all over your hands." He laughed.

"Does it sting?"

"A little."

"Meh."

"Okay, more than a little."

She noticed how close their faces were as the anger died between their minds. Suddenly, his face started closing in to hers. 'Don't do it Ichigo. I'm not ready. I don't know if I-' Rukia's thoughts were interrupted by the nurse and another assistant.

"What's wrong here?"

Rukia quickly stood up. "He has a small bleeding wound on his shoulder. I think it's infected."

"Another stubborn student eh."

"Whatever." Ichigo stood up. The pain in his shoulder felt like a bullet to the skin.

She'd opened a wound of his. "I'm so sorry..."

"It's fine Rukia. As long as we win in the competition and you're in full shape, it's fine with me."

The nurse and the assistant help him up and apply something to him shoulder while removing the cloth. Then they left. He looked back and said smiling, "By the way, you'll need to get a new uniform."

'I'm such a screw up.' Thought Rukia as she picked up her book, and burst into tears.

(A/N: Ok, so pretty short and dramatic ending. Hahaha. Hope ya don't mind me putting in the dialogues. Can erase it if you like ^_^ AND DON'T KILL ME FOR NOT MAKING THEM KISS. It's too soon. Rukia didn't want to but at the moment Ichigo thought that by the way she looked at him, he needed to do it. And Rukia started crying because now she's thinking about how unlucky she is despite the fact that she is blessed with a great gift. Hope that clears the fog that's unexplained. Actually it'll be explained in detail probably in the next chapter. Now lets wait until somebody finds Rukia crying in the library. She doesn't even remember that Ichigo tried to...never mind. Hahaha.

Love all my Reviewers. Thanksies so muchlies..! IchiRuki Accidents are the BEST to share with you guys!